Thai media: Vietnam moves closer to AFF Cup championship title

Vietnam had a convincing win with the aggregate score of 4-2 after two semifinal matches with the championship now within reach for the team, Thailand-based Siam Sports wrote. They are very close to winning the AFF Cup trophy for the second time, even if their next opponent in the finals is Malaysia who defeated Thailand in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, the Thai version of Goal.com recalled it has been 10 years since the last time Vietnam reached the final. A decade has passed since and the Vietnamese team finally has the joy of entering the AFF cup finals, with fans filled with the hope of sitting on top in Southeast Asia for the second time, it said.

“Two late goals from Nguyen Quang Hai and Nguyen Cong Phuong were enough to send Vietnam, 2-1 ahead from the first leg on Sunday, to their first final of the Southeast Asian biennial tournament since winning the trophy in 2008,” the Thai news outlet Bangkok Post wrote.

“Vietnam, led by South Korean coach Park Hang-seo, is one of the favourites in the running for regional champions, although underdog Malaysia pulled out a surprise win when they eliminated defending champions Thailand in Bangkok on Wednesday,” it added.

Last night, many Koreans stayed up until 11pm (local time) to get updates about the game. Visits to the SBS Sport channel in the Republic of Korea rocketed while “Vietnam live football” climbed to the top search in Naver, a leading Korean search engine.

Vietnamese football fans erupted in joy across the country yet again last night, as the national side booked a place in the AFF cup finals after beating the Philippines 2-1 again in the return leg of the semifinal in My Dinh National Stadium on December 6.

The win means Vietnam will face Malaysia in the final which is a rematch from the group stages in November when Vietnam defeated Malaysia 2-0. 

The first leg of the final will take place at Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on December 11, with the return match scheduled for Hanoi four days later on December 15.